The HOMESIDE Study-A Research Project to Support People Living With Dementia and Their Family Caregivers: Preliminary Report on Reading Intervention.

The behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) can be challenging for family caregivers to cope with, leading to distress and fatigue. It is therefore important to offer effective strategies to reduce the impact of BPSD. The HOMESIDE randomized controlled trial (RCT) was testing purposefully developed interventions to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of dyads of people with dementia and family caregivers as a result of reduction of BPSD. HOMESIDE RCT was conducted in Australia, Germany, Norway, Poland and the United Kingdom between 2019 and 2022. The study design was a three-arm parallel-group single-blinded, pragmatic RCT with a sample size of 432 dyads. Dyads were randomly allocated to one of three treatment conditions: Music Intervention plus Standard Care; or Reading Intervention plus Standard Care; or Standard Care only. The Reading Intervention (RI) within the HOMESIDE RCT aimed to evoke shared discussion, reminiscence, meaningful shared experiences and consequently enrich everyday life, interaction and the emotional connection between the caregiver (CG) and carereceiver (CR); as well as to enhance activities of daily living and to promote relaxation or stimulation as appropriate. This paper describes the underlying conceptual framework, the content, and delivery of the Reading Intervention within the HOMESIDE RCT.

Home-based family caregiver-delivered music and reading interventions for people living with dementia (HOMESIDE trial): an international randomised controlled trial.

Background: Music interventions provided by qualified therapists within residential aged care are effective at attenuating behavioural and psychological symptoms (BPSD) of people with dementia (PwD). The impact of music interventions on dementia symptom management when provided by family caregivers is unclear. Methods: We implemented a community-based, large, pragmatic, international, superiority, single-masked randomised controlled trial to evaluate if caregiver-delivered music was superior to usual care alone (UC) on reducing BPSD of PwD measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q). The study included an active control (reading). People with dementia (NPI-Q score ≥6) and their caregiver (dyads) from one of five countries were randomly allocated to caregiver-delivered music, reading, or UC with a 1:1:1 allocation stratified by site. Caregivers received three online protocolised music or reading training sessions delivered by therapists and were recommended to provide five 30-min reading or music activities per week (minimum twice weekly) over 90-days. The NPI-Q severity assessment of PwD was completed online by masked assessors at baseline, 90- (primary) and 180-days post-randomisation and analysed on an intention-to-treat basis using a likelihood-based longitudinal data analysis model. ACTRN12618001799246; ClinicalTrials.govNCT03907748. Findings: Between 27th November 2019 and 7th July 2022, we randomised 432 eligible of 805 screened dyads (music n = 143, reading n = 144, UC n = 145). There was no statistical or clinically important difference in the change from baseline BPSD between caregiver-delivered music (-0.15, 95% CI -1.41 to 1.10, p = 0.81) or reading (-1.12, 95% CI -2.38 to 0.14, p = 0.082) and UC alone at 90-days. No related adverse events occurred. Interpretation: Our findings suggested that music interventions and reading interventions delivered by trained caregivers in community contexts do not decrease enduring BPSD symptoms. Funding: Our funding was provided by National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia; The Research Council of Norway; Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany; National Centre for Research and Development, Poland; Alzheimer's Society, UK, as part of the Joint Programme for Neurodegenerative Diseases consortia scheme.

Recruitment approaches and profiles of consenting family caregivers and people living with dementia: A recruitment study within a trial.

Background: While studies have identified strategies that are useful for recruiting people living with dementia, none have focused on psychosocial interventions involving arts therapies, or have examined the profiles of older people living in the community who consent or decline participation, particularly during a global pandemic. We aimed to identify the most effective recruitment strategies according to participant characteristics and transnational differences and develop a profile of consenting and non-consenting participants. Methods: Recruitment teams in Australia, Norway, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom, recorded participants' source of study awareness and characteristics of consenting and non-consenting participants. Distributions of participants 'consenting to participate' were compared and logistic regressions were used to estimate the odds ratios. Results: Consenting female caregivers were disproportionally represented. Study awareness differed between countries but overall, most expressions of interest to participate were derived from referrals from professionals or organisations, or from databases of people wanting to participate in research. Troughs in recruitment rates occurred during Northern Hemisphere summer vacation periods, and during Christmas periods. Conclusions: This study found that recruiting for a trial with community-dwelling family caregivers and people living with dementia is challenging, especially during a global pandemic. While spousal caregivers comprised the highest proportion of dyads recruited, overall spousal caregivers were more reluctant to consent to participate than adult child caregivers. More targeted recruitment strategies designed for minority groups are also needed to ensure broader representation in dementia treatment studies.

Psychosocial and Health Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic Experienced by Staff Employed in Social Welfare Facilities in Poland and Spain.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a very significant negative impact on the physical and mental health of various professional groups. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the psychosocial and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic experienced by staff employed in social welfare institutions in Poland and Spain. The study involved 407 people, including 207 from Poland and 200 from Spain (346 women and 61 men), working in social care facilities. The research tool was the authors' questionnaire consisting of 23 closed-ended, single- or multiple-choice questions. The study has indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic had negative health and psychosocial effects on employees of social welfare facilities. In addition, it has been shown that the severity of the psychosocial and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic differed between the countries studied. Employees from Spain statistically significantly more often declared deterioration in most of the surveyed indicators, except for mood deterioration, which was experienced more by employees from Poland than their peers from Spain.

[Prestige of selected medical professions in the opinion of representatives of these professions]. / Prestiz wybranych zawodów medycznych w opinii reprezentantów tych zawodów.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this article is to present the prestige of selected medical professions in the opinion of people practicing these professions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted by means of the survey technique. The research tool was an original questionnaire prepared by the authors of the study, which was carried out on a sample of 346 professionally active physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, psychotherapists, and occupational therapists. Those people were employed in public institutions (hospitals, outpatient clinics, rehabilitation centers) located in Kraków and Katowice. The selection of the sample was deliberate. RESULTS: The profession of a physician received the highest score of prestige, while the lowest one was achieved by the profession of an occupational therapist. As factors influencing the prestige of a given profession, physicians and physiotherapists most often indicated social respect for the profession, while nurses, psychotherapists, and occupational therapists emphasized the importance of education. The level of prestige of medical professions, as compared with other professions, decreased with seniority. CONCLUSIONS: The profession of a physician occupies the leading position in the hierarchy of the self-assessed prestige of medical professions. Physicians notice a general tendency to assess the prestige of their profession in a broader context - the position of this profession is weakening in favor of other public utility jobs, despite the fact that physicians still occupy an important place in the rankings of prestige including all professions. A negative self-assessment of the prestige of the occupation performed over the period of ten years prevail only in the case of physicians and nurses. Med Pr. 2019;70(5):587-95.

Why do People Help Each Other? Motivations of Volunteers Who Assisted Persons with Disabilities During World Youth Day.

A growing number of researchers attempt to identify the reasons why some people become volunteers. An analysis of the motives of people who helped persons with disabilities for free during World Youth Day, a renowned religious event, may contribute to this discussion. The aim of this article is to present the results of a survey encompassing 51 volunteers who assisted persons with disabilities during the 31st World Youth Day, which was held in Poland in 2016.

Spirituality in Occupational Therapy Practice According to New Graduates.

Occupational therapy practitioners consider spirituality to be significant in affecting the process and outcome of occupational therapy; however, many therapists voice confusion and concern about its application within their practice. This study aimed to describe the personal definition of spirituality of young occupational therapy practitioners and their perspectives on its application to their practice. Thirty-five young occupational therapists, engaged in a postprofessional master's degree, were interviewed using a self-prepared questionnaire, which included open and close-ended questions. The data was analysed using qualitative and quantitative methods. Most participants defined spirituality as a driving force, which shapes many aspects of life. More than half of the participants considered spirituality as crucial in forming therapeutic relationships. The findings suggest that inclusion of spirituality within occupational therapy education warrants further research.

Level of happiness and happiness-determining factors perceived by women aged over 60 years.

The aim of this article is to present the level of happiness perceived by women aged over 60 years (N = 100), to indicate the factors that determine the perception of happiness, and to determine the possibilities for strengthening the feeling of happiness. For the purposes of this article and the analysis of the obtained empirical data, the authors of this article assumed the structural theory of happiness, which allows for study participants to be viewed as biological, psychological, social, and spiritual beings.